It all started with a parking spot and a Panoz.

On Walnut Street in Pittsburgh, during a busy car show for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pete was directed to park his car next to a Panoz Esperante. Pete was drawn to the unique Panoz car Ynyra had driven from Atlanta, because his racing career had begun many years before at the Panoz race school, and he kept saying to his brother “Chuck, we gotta go talk to the Panoz girl!” It took the entirety of the evening for Pete and his brother to circle back to where their cars were, and Ynyra was still there with a line of suitors faking interest in the car. Pete’s few simple car questions quickly turned into a “why don’t you give me your number and we can talk without the crowd around.” The chemistry was instant.

What followed was a whirlwind romance fueled by Ynyra’s fake love of cars, conversations in intimate cocktail bars, and flight after flight after flight between Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Austin, to see each other. The first week itself was an adventure; after meeting at the car show, they decided to be each other’s date for the next 7 days of car shows. Cars were such a vital part of their relationship, she gained the moniker “Racer Chick” from a few of Pete’s cousins.

From attending the plethora of vintage car shows in Pittsburgh, to going on late night walks through the spider-infested river walk in Austin, our relationship flourished and developed. Younger Ynyra’s maturity balanced well with Not-as-Young Pete’s youthful playfulness; he is a staple at the kids table at weddings, she has a wisdom and insight beyond her years.

In January, Ynyra moved to Austin for a new job, and our romance gained more depth in a few short months than it had in the previous year. We spend time watching the lightning storms, hosting holiday parties, attending Church on Sundays, and sometimes forgetting not everyone is on the inside of our very inside jokes.

These recent weeks of intense family life since our engagement have tossed us into a depth of self giving and mutual support that we believe will set us up for our many years ahead. Our marriage formation coordinator told us that sleeping on the floor in vigil over Pete’s mother might be the best marriage prep there is, and it should probably count for the days of the marriage prep course we missed. Watching the love between our parents, and the heroic support of everyone around Pete’s mom, has truly been the best school of marriage we could hope for.

Thanks for joining us on this journey, and we look forward to all the fun, silly, goofy, and serious moments ahead!